Platinum Keys
by Writing Pixie
Summary: Lucy was tired of feeling weak. She had heard somewhere of another set of keys. Platinum Keys? What were they? She endeavors to find out what they are and maybe just acquire them for herself. Rated T because there may be some language. This will have some NaLu but it really is mostly an adventure story. Some Chinese Mythology involved. Many characters involved!
1. Chapter 1

**Please read this! If you are beginning this story now I would like to alert to you that I am going to be completely revising it! You probably got a notification that there was a new chapter if you follow me. But the chapter is just a more detailed author's note explaining why I am revising it.**

**Edit to the above statement (which I made earlier today). I decided to start working on revising this story today as I was doing it I ended up making the sequence of events vastly different. So much so that it is almost a new story (almost, the key element ideas will still be there). Because of this however I have decided to post the new version as a separate story and once I get past the point this version is at I will be deleting it. So if you want a heads up on the new version either go to my profile and select it to read from there or you could always follow me (merely a suggestion). Thank you so much and I apologize about the inconvenience.**

**Author's Note: First of all this idea both excites me and terrifies me. Adventure not really my strong suit and I'm afraid I'm gonna really mess it up. I will probably still have romantic hints here and there but I really want this to be more about Lucy getting stronger. I hope you enjoy reading it and fave/review it.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing in Fairy Tail. If anything comes up that has happened in Fairy Tail past Keys of the Starry Sky I wouldn't know about it because I have not read the manga so if something similar happens in my story it is sheer coincidence.**

Chapter 1 – Archive search

Lucy paced back and forth across the wooden floor of the guild. She had her hands behind her back and her head dropped seemingly in concentration. But truth be told she was being impatient. She contemplated her toes in the white sandals she was wearing. Perhaps she should paint them sometime soon. The pink polish was chipping and the fact that she was wearing sandals was beginning to annoy her.

Lucy was impatient because she was waiting on a member of the Blue Pegasus guild to arrive. She had sent a request directly to Hibiki two days ago and he had responded that he would be there today before lunch. Lunchtime had come and gone and he still hadn't arrived.

Lucy's back was to the guild door when it opened. Hibiki rushed to her side. He grabbed her hand and kiss the back of it. "So my darling Lucy, what can I do for you?"

Lucy pulled her hand out of Hibiki's grasp. She furrowed her eyebrows at his flirtatious nature. She honestly thought after the fight with Angel when he gave her the Information Transfer to cast Urano Metria that he would just see her as a powerful mage. But no he still saw her as a woman. In some recess of her mind this did boost her self esteem a smidge. But she had been waiting impatiently for nearly two and a half hours for the mage to arrive because she had something important to ask him.

"Listen Hibiki, I want you to do a search on archive for me. I want to know more about the celestial keys. I know of the golden keys and some of the silver keys. But I thought I had heard a rumor somewhere about platinum keys."

"I haven't heard such a thing myself, Lucy. Karen used to ask me to do similar searches for her, and I don't mind doing a search for you. But, I don't want you to get your hopes up."

Lucy had mixed feelings when Hibiki brought up Karen. Part of her seethed with immense displeasure at her past and what she had done to Aries. Part of her tensed anxiously over the guilt Loke felt with what had happened to Karen when he had made that bold decision to stand up for Aries like he had. But right now, the strongest feeling Lucy was feeling was sympathy.

She sympathized Hibiki's loss. She never really understood what Hibiki might have saw in her. She sounded like a despicable woman. But that didn't matter. What did matter was that Hibiki had once loved Karen. He would have probably still been with her if she hadn't died. But if she hadn't died Lucy would not have Aries and Loke in her collection. She would not have the bond she had with the her two celestial friends.

"Before you begin your search Hibiki. Can I ask you a question?"

"Lucy, you may not realize it but I consider you a great friend. I gave you that Information Transfer during the battle with Angel not only because I saw your potential. But also because you have a heart of gold and I cherish your spirit."

Lucy blushed slightly. She shook it off and cleared her throat to ask her question. "Do you think of Karen often? Do you hate Loke for what he did? Do you wonder what could have been if things hadn't happened the way they did?"

Before he answered her he started his search on Archive. The tapping of keys echoed throughout the guild hall. "I used to think of her often. For you Lucy time passed differently. For me I have had 8 years to grieve and move on. I do miss her, and part of me feels guilty because I did beg her not to go on that mission. I offered to pay for her rent and her food. But Karen was very stubborn and proud.

I don't hate Loke for what he did at all. At the time I was crazy angry at him. But he was doing the same thing for Aries that I was trying to do for Karen. Both of us were protecting someone we cherished and held dear.

I don't really wonder what could have happened if things played out differently. I can't really afford the luxury to do so. I mean if I wasn't with Karen I wouldn't have had the knowledge I did about Urano Metria. I wouldn't have been able to help you with your fight against Angel. You wouldn't be the strong celestial mage you are. You wouldn't have Loke, Gemini, Scorpio, and Aries on your side to help you fight. You wouldn't have traded Aries pain she felt with Karen first for the wonder I am sure she feels now."

A bleep sounded from Archive. "Oh here we go platinum celestial keys. Hmm...there seems to be very little information here but they do exist. It says that the last book written about the keys was something called The Keys of the Four Celestial Gods."

"Wait Gods?" Lucy was shocked. The others were spirit keys. The platinum keys were God keys? Any celestial mage would want those keys. She wasn't sure she could handle God keys but if those keys got in the wrong hands...

She felt a strong gush of magic behind her. She turned around and Loke was frowning at her. "Princess, those keys...you shouldn't try to search for them. You can't handle that kind of power yet. Plus...the search for the keys alone...is taxing..."

Lucy knew that Loke was merely concerned for her well being but she was tired of being told when she couldn't handle something. She wasn't weak and she was determined to prove that. She wanted to become the best celestial mage out there and if that meant acquiring these keys so be it. "Loke, I know you mean the best. But in all honesty if I don't find those keys then another mage probably will, one who doesn't deserve them. They won't treat the spirits, or I guess Gods," her mind was still spinning at that thought, "like I treat mine. They will probably use them, abuse them, and become powerful when they do not deserve to be so.

I'm not weak, Loke. It sounds selfish but I think I deserve these keys. I deserve to become a better mage and I want to keep the Gods safe from anyone that might want to extort their magic."

"Princess, first of all I was not insinuating that you are weak. I believe the opposite in fact. I'm just concerned. If you really are set on doing this I have some information regarding the keys I can get for you. But like I said the quest itself is taxing. You are strong but you won't be able to handle it on your own. You will need a strong team at your back to help you with this quest." Loke smiled ruefully.

He knew that she would round up the perfect team after saying that. He just knew that telling her this would strengthen her resolve. He knew she would need to be strong on this quest. Because he might not have much knowledge regarding the keys but he knew in the back of his mind that a mage had previously tried to search for the keys and it had resulted in that mage's death.

Loke planned to go back to the spirit world to talk to the Celestial Spirit King. The conversation was going to be an interesting one because Lucy intrigued the king. He often asked how Lucy was doing and what trouble she had gotten herself into. He probably actually watched her from his side himself. But asking Loke was probably easier then admitting that the king looked in on Lucy from time to time. The king was humble and would never admit to such a thing.

Loke bowed to Lucy before taking his leave. Lucy sighed at the influx of information that was roaming in her head. She smiled at Hibiki as he smiled at her. She was a mixture of excited and worried about what info Loke was going to bring back with him. He had promised to use his own magic so he didn't deplete Lucy's hopping back and forth with what he discovered.

Natsu came up to Lucy while she was deep in thought. He had been across the room while the conversation had taken place. He had scowled at Hibiki when he had kissed Lucy's hand. He had worried over Lucy when Loke had mentioned how taxing the journey would be. He even got defensive when Loke had unintentionally insinuated she was weak. Now he stood behind his best friend wanting to offer his services. But he didn't want to let on that he had been eavesdropping. As a dragon slayer it was hard not to do so. But in all honesty Natsu tended to at least half listen when Lucy was having a conversation with someone in the guild hall.

Natsu had told Happy to look for a job for the team. While Natsu was heading over to Lucy Happy was looking at the request board. Happy had dropped the request in his hands. Natsu barely looked at it when he approached Lucy.

"Hey Luce! I'm sure you need rent money! Wanna go on this job with us?" Natsu held the paper up to her knowing she wouldn't really look at it. He knew she was about to say no and explain about the platinum keys.

Luce's mouth had formed a surprised o. It was a cute expression. Natsu liked surprising her. He also liked her smile. She had a sweet smile. "Actually Natsu I was going to come find you in a little bit. I actually might have a job myself, or rather, a mission as it were I guess..."

Lucy fumbled for her words. She didn't know the details yet so it was hard to ask for help for something she had little to no details about. "Is that why Hibiki is here?"

"Yeah, he's searching something on Archive for me."

Of course Natsu already knew that. He just didn't want it to appear like he had been eavesdropping. "So what do you know about this mission thus far?"

He tried to listen with an intent ear while she repeated everything she had learned.

"New spirits? That sounds epically awesome! I'm fired up to help out!"

Lucy smiled at Natsu. She knew she could count on him. Even if he was an idiot most of the time. "Gods, Natsu, these keys are supposed to be Gods."

"Do you know how many? What they are?"

"There are four keys. So four Gods. But that is really all I know."

The magic wind blew around them as Loke reappeared. "Okay what I know thus far. The four God keys are located somewhere in the North, South, East, and West. They are Genbu, Suzaku, Seiryu, and Byakko. That's all the details I have right now. I'm going back for more."

Lucy looked around the room. Maybe Levy knew more since they now had the God names or wait Hibiki had mentioned a book, The Keys of the Four Celestial Gods, maybe Levy might know of the book. Lucy would have called out Old Man Cross but honestly it was Monday and the spirit was not available Mondays. Hence why Lucy had called Hibiki in the first place. Plus, Information Transfer was a lot easier to retain then holding a map or a book. All Lucy knew was that she needed more information. She wanted to begin this quest yesterday!

**Did you like it? Do you know of these Gods? What do you think thus far? Please review! I'm excited and I hope I have instilled some excitement in you, the readers!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Build up is key to any good story. But honestly I hate the build up part. I always want to get to the destination so hopefully I don't rush things for you all. Review and tell me what you are thinking. The gods mentioned are from Chinese Mythology but the first time I saw them mentioned was another anime. Do you know which one? Review if you do and if you just want to know PM me I will let you know because that anime was one of my first animes I watched and it's fantastic.**

**This story is rated Teen due to possible language. **

**Disclaimer: Fairy Tail and the characters are not owned by me. Any situation brought up in the story that might coincide with the manga past Key to the Starry Heavens story arc is purely coincidental.**

Chapter 2 - Info seeking

Lucy was sitting at a table in the guild hall waiting for Loke to return. At this point her guild mates knew what was going on and were supporting her as much as they could. Mira had made Lucy some cookies shaped like stars. After Mira had placed them on the table however, Natsu inhaled half of them right off the bat. "Natsu! Those cookies were made for me!" Lucy slugged him in the shoulder.

"Yeah but Luce, I knew that you were going to share!" He rubbed at his shoulder. Luce was not to be trifled with when it came to sweets.

"That's not the point Natsu! You should have asked! You also ate more then you should have too!"

Mira came back with more cookies. "No worries I was prepared for that!"

The only one that rivaled Lucy when it came to sweets was Erza. Of course again the ever thoughtful Mira took care of that before giving Lucy the cookies. She had already given Erza a double layer chocolate cake with maraschino cherries decorating the frosting and Erza was tearing into said cake as if it were the last food in Earthland.

Lucy had a cookie in her mouth when Loke returned behind her. He startled her so bad she started to choke. Natsu patted her back and glared at Loke. "A little warning next time, Lion Face!" He was still trying to work out a good insult for the celestial spirit. "You okay, Luce?"

Lucy took a drink of her milk in front of her. She gasped for air and glared at Loke.

"I'm so sorry to have startled you, Princess." Loke bowed deeply to Lucy.

"Forget that, Loke. What else did you find out?" Lucy turned her chocolate eyes onto Loke. Her orbs probing his questioningly.

"Eh, well Lucy. The thing is..." He trailed off. His fingers threading through his coppery hair. Lucy already knew this as his diversion tactic.

"Spill it already!" She yelled at the lion spirit.

"The Celestial Spirit King kinda clammed up. I asked him for more details and he basically said that he couldn't be pestered every few minutes about every little thing. He did however say that the book would give more details."

Lucy sighed and looked over at Hibiki who was seated at the bar taking a break. She hated to ask him for more help but her options were a bit limited. Lucy had asked around while Loke was searching if anyone knew where Levy was. She was told that Levy had just gotten back from a taxing job and was taking a nap.

Lucy knew the bluenette had no problem helping her. But she also knew that if she was tired there was no point bothering her with it at this point.

Lucy got up and strode over to where Hibiki was sitting. Loke followed close behind. Hibiki turned to her as she ambled toward the bar.

Lucy sat down and stared at her fingers. She started to pick at the pink nail polish here also. If her nail polish was chipping from her toenails it won't hurt if they match. Is what she idly thought to herself.

"So what did you find out?" Hibiki asked her.

Lucy glared at Loke behind her again. He inwardly trembled at the death glare she was giving him. But giving no outward signal that when Lucy was annoyed it terrified him.

She turned back to Hibiki. "Well, actually...Loke didn't find out anything else from the Celestial Spirit King. He, as Loke put it, 'clammed up' on offering any additional information."

"Well what do we do now?" Hibiki asked.

"You don't have to do anything if you don't want to, Hibiki. I hate to put you out like that. I mean I am sure you have jobs you were planning on taking."

"Actually, Lucy, when you asked for help I put my responsibilities on hold. I want to help. Heck, honestly, I even want to go on these quests with you if you will let me. It's intriguing information I'm acquiring. I think ever since Karen the spirit world and keys always had intrigued me a little bit."

Lucy smiled at Hibiki's devotion to help her. She didn't expect it and it gave her a warm comforting feeling inside. "So I guess we can either try searching archive for anything about the book, The Keys of the Four Celestial Gods. Or maybe we could search for each God separately."

"I think I should start searching the four gods each individually. Levy might have more luck with the book once you get a chance to talk to her about it."

"Talk to me about what?" Lucy turned to the bluenette who must have walked up right around the time her name was mentioned.

Lucy relayed all the information she had discovered today. " The Keys of the Four Celestial Gods, huh? That sounds mildly familiar to me. I'll go check my personal books at home and if I find anything I will bring it back here."

"Also don't forget the Gods mentioned. If you don't find anything regarding the book you may find something regarding the gods."

Natsu was nearby pacing the wooden floor of the guild hall. All this research crap was boring. "Hey Icicle Princess!" He hollered at Gray from across the room.

The Ice Make mage turned to Natsu. "Flame Brain, wanna fight?"

Natsu grinned to himself. That was just what he had been thinking.

While Natsu and Gray were duking it out, Erza still in a euphoric near comatose bliss from eating the decadent cake, Hibiki started researching Genbu. It was the first God Loke listed so he figured might as well go in the order that Loke had listed the Gods.

**I know this chapter is a tad shorter then the last but honestly. I'm just not feeling all that great and I want to devote the next chapter to what they find about each God and that might be a lot of info all at once. Fave, follow, review if you are liking it thus far!**


	3. Chapter 3 - Planning

**Disclaimer: I can wish all I want that own Fairy Tail but I do not. **

**Author's Note: I'm honestly really surprised. There does not seem to be a Fairy Tail bestiary out there and I personally cannot recall any of the beasts (so ashamed). I'm going to probably just pull beasts from different sources and possibly create some of my own I guess. I thought about making a forum to post beasts in or a forum to share fairy tail stories easily. I mean am I the only one that doesn't find it easy to find a good story? Granted I'm new to (maybe I just don't know where to look...). **

**Also, I am all caught up with Japan now 201 episodes so if you aren't at least watching Grand Magic Games arc you might be a little lost at some things that might pop up now. **

**Be sure to read this paragraph before continuing**

**I honestly have been trying to write an information gathering chapter here but it's just not going well. I lack some facts but again I know where I am going with the story so what I am going to do is I am going to start this chapter by just feeding information to you so you have prior knowledge on what is going on before proceed the actual chapter. Once get past Byakko is where the true chapter will begin.**

Prior Knowledge!

Genbu

Hibiki found this on Archive: Genbu is the God Guardian of the North and has been depicted in illustrations as a gigantic turtle. Attacks are said to be both water and ice based.

Levy found from the book The Keys of the Four Celestial Gods that it was said that Genbu lived in an ice cave north of Gwaineira* Village in Iceberg.

*Gwaineira made up village by me. The name Gwyneira is a welsh name that means blessed snow.

Seiryu

Hibiki's research: Seiryu is the God Guardian of the East and has been depicted as a bearded blue dragon. Seiryu's spells seem to be wind based.

Levy's research: Not much was said on location of Seiryu, only that last was seen off the Eastern Coast of Enca.

Suzaku

Hibiki's research: Suzaku is the God Guardian of the South and has been depicted as fire bird. Suzaku's spells were the only ones that were clearly wind based.

Levy's research: Reports that there was an uncharted volcanic island south of Midi and that was where the fire bird was last seen. The name of the island is Meluntika*.

*Milintica is a Nahuatl name that means fire, he is waving.

Byakko

Hibiki's research: Byakko is the God Guardian of the West and has been said to be depicted as a large white tiger. Byakko's spells appear to be lightning and light based.

Levy's research: On one of the islands in the archipelago to the northeast of Caelum there is said to be a Jungle Temple, and around this temple is where Byakko was last reported.

Chapter 3 – Planning

The entire guild hall had gathered during the time all the information was shared. Now there was a hush of unusual silence. Natsu being unable to sit still for more then a minute at a time, stood up and started pacing back and forth along the length of the bar.

Cana had pulled the bulletin board with the Earthland map on it closer towards Team Natsu's table. "I figure this might be the time to plot and plan a course of action."

Lucy nodded. Yes, Cana was right. Cana had surprised Lucy a little. The only other time Lucy had seen Cana so determined was while they were on Tenrou Island. But she now knew that Cana was now attempting to return the favor.

"I'm looking at the map and all these locations are so far away. The trip alone would probably take weeks or even months," Lucy looked around at her guildmates. "I can't ask you all to take time off from jobs for that length of time. Heck, even I would need to make rent money somehow."

"So, then you organize groups for each God individually. You take on jobs on your way to the destinations to accommodate for the jewels everyone would need for day to day life," Mira interjected.

Lucy smiled at Mira. The Take Over mage was sure clever. Usually her intelligence shined at her matchmaking schemes so when Mira proposed something with that level on insight it surprised most. But then again Mira had been taking care of her younger siblings for awhile now.

"So I guess the next question of planning would be to decide which God to go after first," Levy thought out loud.

"I vote the dragon!" Natsu piped up.

"You would vote the dragon, Flame Brain," Gray retorted.

Before Natsu could retort Wendy interjected, "It would be cool to see a dragon again."

"I think we need to think of this more logically," Freed interrupted.

"Yes, it's late spring so I was thinking we should probably go to Iceberg and focus on attempting to obtain Genbou's key first. Because even though Iceberg is going to be freezing it will be the warmest it can be during the summer time, which is when we would probably arrive," Lucy voiced her thoughts.

"Okay so we need a team strong against water and Ice," Cana said. She looked at her cards and pulled out Gray and Juvia from them. She turned at the two and said. "Sorry but that leaves you two out."

Juvia thought to herself. _Yay, my darling Gray will be away from Love Rival. Perhaps, during this time I can win his affections at last!_

The door to the guild hall creaked as it opened. Everyone turned to see who had arrived. A small petite girl with short light silvery-blue hair and brown eyes walked in. She hesitantly smiled at the room.

The girl was Yukino. She held the remaining two gold zodiac keys. Plus, the myserious 13th gate key of Ophiuchus, the snake charmer. Many members smiled at the girl as she walked in.

"You did invite me to join Fairy Tail. I wondered if the invitation still stands?"

Lucy ran to Yukino and embraced the girl in a hug. She was enthusiastic that Yukino made the choice at last. Makarov, watching from the balcony overhead, called down, "The invitation had no expiration date. You are welcome here, my dear."

After hearing this she was inducted into the guild. She had asked for her mark to be light blue (like her hair) and on her stomach to the left of her belly button. This was the same place she once had her Sabertooth guild mark. She wanted to forget ever having that mark there. So she replaced the old with the new.

After the induction, Yukino looked around the room. She noticed how the bulletin board seemed to be in an odd place and even before she had walked into the guild the guild members had been sitting together as if they were in a meeting. "I'm sorry. Did I interrupt something?"

Lucy explained what was going on and Yukino didn't hesitate to offer her assistance. "I offered my zodiac keys before and you refused them. At the time it confused me but your heart shined through with such sincerity. Now, I believe you deserve these keys and I want to help you see this through."

Cana had prepared a card for Yukino so she could do the group assignment. Yukino turned to Cana, "Even if I am not in this prediction I am going!"

Cana nodded with a grin. "You're determination probably would have influenced the prediction of the cards anyway."

Cana pulled her arm back and threw the cards at Iceberg. The team members would be: Natsu, Erza, Hibiki, Freed, Mira, Elfman, Ever, and the two Celestial Mages.

"So, now to gather the Iceberg jobs together on the board to pick which ones you should be doing on your way there." Surprisingly there were more Iceberg jobs on the board then anyone realized.

Mira confirmed, "Well, who wants to go somewhere that cold? A lot of those have been there awhile."

Cana pinned these to the other side of the bulletin board and threw cards at them. Three jobs were selected by the cards. The first two were both to get rid of monsters. The third was an information gathering job. If all three jobs were completed the group would obtain a million jewels. For some reason the information gathering job paid the most.

Lucy's eyes shined with dollar signs, and in the next moment she caught herself praying. _No destruction this trip please...must...have...rent...money._


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The party had been riding the train for two solid days. Days which Natsu spent unconscious thanks to a armored head punch from Erza. Days which Elfman and Evergreen wouldn't stop bickering. Days where Hibiki flirted with any female who came within his personal space. This included a little girl who had gotten separated from her mother. After Hibiki had found the girl's mom he then proceeded to flirt with the mother. The only four semi sane people on the trip were Lucy, Yukino, Freed, and Mirajane.

Freed and Mira seemed perfectly content talking about the landscape that passed their shared window. Lucy had caught sight of their hands clasped together a couple times when they thought no one was looking but she didn't point it out. She figured even though Mira was the resident matchmaker of the guild that she deserved her own happiness, and since no one seemed to know about the two having feelings for each other it wasn't Lucy's place to spread that gossip.

Lucy and Yukino had several chats about their adventures as celestial spirit mages. Lucy had learned during the small duration of her time in Sabertooth, Yukino had done a few jobs with the twin dragon slayers. She blushed when she talked about them and Lucy had the feeling she had a crush on one of the two. But the blush was there for both so she had no clear hint at which one she might have feelings for.

Suddenly the train lurched to a stop. The sudden jerk of the train woke up the sleeping Natsu. He jumped up in anticipation of a fight. "Natsu?" Lucy asked

"Shh, I'm listening." The group watched as Natsu's face turned from anticipation to anger. "Damn, bandit guilds," he muttered and took off with purpose.

"That idiot is going to get himself into trouble," Erza muttered and chased after him followed closely by the rest of the group.

"Worse yet, he will probably demolish the train!" Lucy exclaimed in agitation and fear.

The group traversed the small hallway of the train single file when Erza suddenly stopped. Standing before her was a cloaked figure she knew well. "Jel..Mystogan, what are you doing here? You surely can't be the bandits Natsu mentioned."

He turned to her surprised. "No, of course not," he said bitterly. He couldn't help but hate when someone thought the worse of him. It was deserved of course, but when it came from someone he trusted. It was just the thing to burn the acid in his stomach. Meldy, who had been a few steps ahead of him, touched his arm in an attempt to calm him. "I was tracing the steps of the bandit guild that is currently trying to hijack this train." He turned back pushing Meldy into continuing chasing the bandits up the hall.

They quickened their steps but continued their conversation. "What do you know about them?"

"We are now on the border of Seven and Bosco. Bosco has been known for their bandit guilds and their slave trading business, especially female slave trading."

"That's deplorable," Erza replied.

Lucy nodded as she was remembering when her and Natsu first met in Hargeon. She was nearly a victim of said slave trading. She was determined to stop the same thing happening again.

"The bandits on board are from a guild called Venom Talon. They have been successful several times over in the slave trade business."

"Not anymore, they're not," Erza commented.

"My sentiments exactly," Jellal smiled back at her momentarily. Erza's conviction to set things right was definitely one of the best things about her.

"Fire Dragon Roar."

"Oh great, there goes this train trip," Lucy sighed.

"It's for the greater good, Lucy. Knowing Natsu he has already subdued a few of the bandits."

Lucy couldn't help but agree. She was probably right. Natsu may be a hot head but he was just trying to protect the women on the train.

They finally got to first passenger car of the train. This was obviously where the action was going down because the car had a huge hole in the side. Lucy inspected it and found three bandits unconscious in the grass near the train track.

Natsu was currently battling one other. No others were in sight. "Natsu, where are the rest of the bandits?"

"Apparently, they thought they only needed four members to do this job. I don't hear any others. Oh head's up the train conductor is coming this way."

Erza talked to the train conductor and explained the situation. To say he was unhappy would have been an understatement but he and the other train staff tied up the bandits until the local constables took them into custody. The members from Fairy Tail along with Crime Sorciere were then promptly kicked off the train. They got their stuff and were pointed in the direction of the closest town with a train station.

Lucy scolded Natsu along the walk. Yukino tried to hide her giggling at Lucy scolding Natsu. Freed and Mira, while not holding hands, walked comfortably side by side. Jellal walked with Erza while she toted her cart of luggage behind her. Meldy smiled as Hibiki flirted with her. Elfman and Evergreen continued their bickering. Yup, things were pretty normal for the Fair Tail mages. Chaos, panic, destruction, and saving the day just seemed to be the Fairy Tail way.

**Okay I know I didn't really deal with the action sequence here but I thought it would be hard to really focus on a fight on a train. No worries I "plan" on the group dealing with Venom Talon in the next chapter. **

**Where does the name Venom Talon come from? Honestly I brainstormed some evolved names from /guild_ ** **then came up with my own. **

**Other names I brainstormed: Howling Ghosts, Bloodthorns, Dusty Renegades, Mission Horde, Shadow Stalkers, and Venom Renegades. I just personally liked this one best.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The group trudged beside the train tracks. They were sure they would hit a town with a train stop eventually. The group walked in silence. They were tired and overwrought from the journey. So they had been walking for the past two hours admiring the landscape. To the east of the group there was a huge dense forest. To the right in a far distance was a majestic mountain range.

At one point, Lucy had been tempted to call out Horologium. But she sadly remembered it happened to be his only day off. Then Natsu surprised her by offering a piggy back ride. Lucy didn't notice the blush that rose up his neck to stain his cheeks. She just merely accepted her best friend's offer.

"You know I am surprised you haven't made some wise crack about my weight!" Lucy admitted.

Natsu shrugged. "We are all tired, Luce. Why would I get in a fight right now when all I want to do is sit down?"

_Since when did he think like that? Usually it's 'I'm all fired up! Let's fight!'_

Aloud she muttered, "I give up trying to understand you."

This saddened the dragon slayer a bit. But then he smelled one of his favorite scents ever and his stomach announced itself loudly. Suddenly he was in a sprint towards the smell forgetting he had Lucy on his back.

Yukino stepped aside when she heard his loud footfalls behind her. She was used to Sting being the same way when he got hungry so she knew she had to get out of the way. She forced back a laugh when he passed and she saw that Lucy was holding on for dear life.

"Fire chicken here I come!"

Erza and Jellal were at the front of the line up and she thrust her fist into Natsu's gut when he was about to pass them. He fell to the ground clutching his stomach. "Hey! You could have hurt Luce, Erza!"

Erza turned when she heard this. Natsu may have deserved her wraith but Lucy was another story.

Luckily, Lucy was only dizzy from the run. Natsu felt bad and carried her in his arms. She clutched at his neck so she wouldn't fall. "I smelled fire chicken, we have to be near a town, and I'm starving!"

Sure enough not ten minutes later they spotted a sign welcoming them to Renshaw Heights and a train depot in the distance about a half a mile from that.

They climbed up the platform and while Lucy was trying to find out details about the next train Erza noticed a big bulletin board. At the top was a great big banner saying 'these criminals wanted apprehended' below the banner was several mugshots of sullied looking men. Every last one of them seemed to have a mark of an eagle claw with green talons. "Seems Poison Talon is known for their corruption of moral laws."

"I was planning on bringing them in anyway. If the mayor is wanting to give out jewels into addiction to it. Who am I to deny that?" Jellal smirked.

"I think we should go with you," Erza replied. "It's not like we are in a hurry to get anywhere, and that is a heft amount of derelicts the mayor is wanting to bring into custody. In fact, I am pretty sure we will find once talking to the mayor that he will just want the whole guild taken out."

Lucy discovered that because of the damage to the previous train another one would not be in town for a week. So the group decided to at least go to hear the mayor out.

OoO

Mayor Elridge Kenley was a peculiar looking fellow. He was about the same height as Levy. He had a rotund belly. His face was mostly obscured by oversized monocle covering his right eye, an elongated broad nose, and an extensive mustache. His copper ringlets were quite unruly, and his face had a ruddy complexion that was enhanced at the tip of his nose and cheeks.

The group listened to the man as he sputtered on about how the people of Bosco were all tired of girl slave trading rings. "Venom Talon is one of the most prominent bandit guilds in Bosco. If they were able to be taken down then Bosco would be a more livable place. Of course not only do people not want to take out the guild they also fear the dire wolves of the Yith Timberland. Which, Venom Talon's hideout is supposedly somewhere in the midst of that forest."

"How long of a journey on foot would that be?" Lucy asked. She was hesitant to take the job if it took over a week. But the extra money would help fund the trips they were taking for her benefit.

"If you don't run into difficulty. I would imagine a couple days by foot each way. But I am sure the dire wolves would slow you down."

Natsu's stomach growled again. He was agitated and grumpy from lack of food.

The mayor smothered a laugh. "I could get you all room and board at the Rosewood Hot Springs."

"I'd love to accept the offer but I would like to do our own research before we agree to your terms."

"You are the first group to even hear me out. It's no trouble. Stay there tonight and work out what you have to then return in the morning to let me know what you decided. Oh, although, I imagine I will only be able to get you two rooms. One for the girls and one for the boys."

"Any accommodations would be appreciated."

Lucy was already sighing in her head about the idea of soaking in an open air hot spring. Natsu was drooling over the idea of food. Erza was working out battle strategies. Jellal was trying hard not to focus on Erza's face scrunched up in concentration. Meldy was mentally giggling at Jellal. Hibiki flirted with every girl he passed by. Freed shyly kept glancing Mira's way.

The hot springs that awaited them was actually a bit on the shabby side. The building itself looked like it should be condemned. The group planned on meeting up together in the girls room after they all soaked in the hot springs. They were all quite exhausted. Natsu grumbled at having to wait longer for food.

When the guys realized their room was connected to the girls and the only thing that separated the baths from one another was a tall fence they all hurriedly changed out of their clothes and jumped in. Even Natsu.

**So yeah I'm sorry I promised more action this time. But I realized I am trying to rush the story a bit. I need to slow down. This was a more fluffy chapter and I got really tired towards the end so it probably feels a bit rushed. But I just really wanted to update it today. **

**If you are over 18 please check out my other stories!**

**Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

Just a helpful reminder of who is on this part of the quest: Natsu, Erza, Hibiki, Freed, Mira, Elfman, Evergreen, Yukino, and Lucy. Jellal and Meredy (not sure if I referred to her in previous chapters as Meldy or Meredy but wikia says Meredy so that's what we are sticking to) also happen to be with the group at the moment since they have been hunting down the members of the bandit guild Venom Talon.

Chapter 6

The girls submersed themselves in the decadent depths of the simmering cleansing water of the hot springs. Ever half dozed against one corner while the others chit chatted away.

"Oh, this feels wonderful," Erza stated.

"Soooo," Meredy said out of the blue. "I just want to make sure I don't step on any toes here. I was curious who is into who?"

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked.

"She means who do you all like out of the guys," Mira smiles.

Meredy merely nodded in response.

"Natsu would be a better fighter if he could get his spontaneity under control," Erza stated and before she could go on a tangent of all the guys' battle prowess Mira interjected.

"She means romantically like, Erza."

"Oh, I don't...hmm... well I don't like any of the Fairy Tail boys. They are too much like family to have any romantic entanglement with one." Her difficult in making this announcement was not overlooked by the girls.

"So that would leave either Hibiki or Jellal." Meredy said with a finger poised at her chin.

Erza stuttered for a second, "I...I...didn't say I liked any of our travel companions."

Lucy snickered, "No you said you didn't like any of the Fairy Tail boys. That's guilt by omission."

"Mm, I'd agree," Mira stated.

"Eh, it's okay. I am pretty sure I already know who Erza likes." Meredy smirked.

Erza merely blushed in response.

"Honestly, I think we all know who she likes. Just like we know that Ever likes Elfman."

Ever while dozing muttered, "Real man...pssh.."

The other girls giggled furiously. "Lucy likes Natsu," Mira stated. "And they are soooo cute together." Hearts started dancing in her eyes.

"I really wish you would give that up, Mira. Last time you said that you made me believe that he had asked me out on a date. All he wanted was to use Virgo to dig up some holes." Lucy sighed. She wouldn't admit the emotional damage that day caused her. "I think Mira likes Freed."

Mira shrugged at Lucy. "What's not to like? He's handsome, has long luscious hair, eyelashes any girl would kill for, not to mention that adorable mole under his left eye. He also is a gentleman and extremely chivalrous."

"What about when he fought you at the time of the Fantasia Festival? I wouldn't say that was very chivalrous of him." Erza asked curiously.

"No, but he unintentionally gifted back my magic power and honestly that's probably what opened up my heart to him in the first place. But enough about me. Do you have anyone you like, Yukino?"

"Oooh, I bet it is either Sting or Rogue." Lucy stated.

Yukino's face turned red and she suddenly seemed to find the stars in the sky extremely interesting.

OoO

The boys tried not to splash around the water all that much so they could eavesdrop on the girls' conversation.

Erza didn't really answer but Jellal knew her feelings for him. He would have to be...well...the easiest comparison he could think of was Natsu. The boy was enthusiastic but he rarely used any deductive reasoning.

Natsu was surprised that Lucy thought he asked her on a date. That did explain her over-enhanced scent that night. Stupid smelly female stuff! Her outfit also seemed more like something she would wear on a special occasion too now that he thought about it. So he would just have to ask her properly on a date. But he wasn't really sure how he asked her the first time. The boy groaned as his head started to ache from overuse.

Elfman tried to deny that there was anything between him and Ever. Freed merely turned to him and said, "You know a real man would admit his true feelings not deny them."

Freed blushed when he heard Mira's admission. To think centerfold beauty Mira would think of him like that. Freed didn't often consider his own worth. He was merely a part of the thunder legion, a part of a cohesive unit. But perhaps that wasn't all he was.

As for Mira's appreciation for his looks. His mole always annoyed him. He even one time attempted to have it magically removed. His eyelashes he knew about, many girls made the same observation. He momentarily wondered what Mira had thought of his hair when he cut it. But she was sure she appreciated his longer hair more and was excessively thankful to have grown it out.

OoO

They all met back up in the girls room twenty minutes later. The food had been brought in and the conversation began.

"I honestly think we should try to help this village out. I am tired of hearing about all the slave trading regarding Bosco. I can't guarantee that we will completely shut them down but maybe it will make the other bandits in the area think twice," Lucy stated.

"Agreed, the delinquents must be taught what morals are," Erza stated.

"We do have a week before we can get on another train, and it's not like we didn't know this excursion would take awhile." Hibiki commented.

"All in favor of taking the request?"

Throughout the whole room a chorus of ayes rang out, except for Natsu who's aye came out garbled from the amount of food he inhaled. Everyone was in agreement that they all would do their part to help out the town.

**Mostly filler chapter. I know it's short and I apologize but I hope to make up for it in the next chapter. I know I stated before that there would be action coming up, well for certain next time. Although admittedly I don't know how heavy said action will be.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

It took quite some time for the whole group to get up and out of bed the next morning. You would think with Natsu complaining about hunger and wanting to crack some skulls the team would wake up long enough to pummel him for being loud. But most just kept hugging their pillows to themselves and enjoying their rest.

Two hours later the group was finally rousing from their deep slumber. "Geez, it's about time you all woke up. Come on we gotta go see the mayor and head out already."

Erza wiped at her eyes and requipped out of her pajamas into her Heart Kreuz armor. "I'll take care of that. Everyone else pack up."

As she left Natsu muttered, "Easy for her to say she has the most stuff out of all of us."

The others all grinned and laughed in turn at the truth to that statement. Luckily, Erza, had kept most of her equipment still packed in the numerous amount of suitcases she had.

OoO

The group headed down the street of Renshaw Heights. They were heading toward the east-side exit of the town. Everyone they passed smiled at them or greeted them enthusiastically. "Everyone sure is pleasant in this small village," Erza observed.

"They all know why we are here and where we are going. They are excited of the possibility of the fall of Venom Talon." Everyone looked at Natsu who suddenly seemed full of information. "Dragon slayer hearing, remember?"

When they got to the edge of the village and crossed over the railroad tracks Erza thwacked Natsu upside the head. "Oww! What was that for?"

"For destroying our mode of transportation and leaving us stranded in this town for a week," Erza responded.

"Any leg of this quest will be lengthy so another week isn't going to make it any more complicated," Ever stated.

Mira took a deep breath. "Honestly I am kind of glad to not be riding that train right now. Just look at this landscape."

They all smiled at the green rolling hills with the trees of the Yith Timberland forest as a backdrop. Lucy thought it was a perfect place for a picnic but didn't bring it up because she was sure that would just irk Erza. Her two recent attempts a picnic being ruined by outside forces.

It took them two more hours to traverse across the rolling hills. They could finally make out just how large the trees of the forest actually were. The average height seemed to reach to the sky at about thirty-five feet (just over 10 ½ meters). But there was a still a tree here and there that stood taller. The branches of the trees extended towards each other creating a shadowy canopy that seemed to obscure the forest beyond from view.

Suddenly, Natsu's stomach growled loudly. Lucy and Yukino snickered and then seconds after both blushed when their stomachs also made themselves known. "Let's stop here and eat before going into the forest. We probably won't find a good place to stop when we tread through the forest," Erza suggested. Lucy groaned at the look of happiness on Erza's face. The red haired woman was bound and determined to have a happy picnic on a sunny day.

Sandwiches, salads, and fruits were laid out amongst the group. The mayor made sure they were well stocked with food before they took off on their journey. Lucy wasn't sure the mayor understood the copious amounts a dragon slayer could eat. Natsu had just finished his twelfth sandwich.

Natsu reached for his thirteenth when suddenly he paused. "We need to wrap this up. I hear twigs snapping in the forest and I am pretty sure I smell several wolves nearby." He sniffed the air to confirm. "Hmm...but something is off. Two nearby smell like wolves but there is another scent overlaying it. I know I recognize the scent but...grr I can't place it."

Suddenly they all made an unspoken agreement. The girls scurried to put away the picnic so the wolves didn't make off with any left over food, and the boys created a half circle around the girls, watching the forest for movement.

Natsu set both of his fists aflame in preparation. He was prepared to cast Fire Dragon's Iron Fists and punch some wolf skulls in.

Elfman figured a full body takeover was unnecessary for a pack of wolves and cast a partial take over, Beast Arm: Reptile. He figured since he used it to send several people flying once before that he could also use it to do the same to several dire wolves. If they didn't pass out from the force of the throw someone with a range attack could back him up.

Hibiki accessed his archive magic in his mind. He prepared himself to use Force Blast on any wolves that came through the thicket.

Freed cast his Dark Ecriture: Darkness form. In his demonic like form his plan was the to cast Darkness Flare Bomb at the wolves and create a wave of pressure to toss the wolves from the group.

While the other guys had been preparing themselves Jellal telepathically asked them how they were all planning on attacking. It was a tough call on what he would cast. It was half and half, Natsu and Elfman were doing melee magic attacks while Freed and Hibiki were doing ranged magic attacks. But with the exception of Natsu all the attacks would throw the wolves in some way. So Jellal planned on attacking them with Heavenly Arrows, a ranged attack that shot out several arrows of damaging light to the target.

Fifteen five foot tall (1.5 meters) wolves jumped out of the ferns, from bushes, from behind large rocks that were dispersed intermittently along the forest floor. Their sharp fangs snarled aggressively. Erza looked around her. "They look pretty angry. But...these are the runts of the pack...I've seen dire wolves get much larger."

"They may not be 'big' for dire wolves, but look at the amount of them. I thought dire wolf packs tended to be smaller then that," Mira stated.

"Yes, it is highly unusual to have a pack of more then seven. Maybe these fifteen grouped together because of their size, a strength in numbers mentality perhaps."

"Let's stop talking and start fighting already," With that Natsu dived in the fray. He sent an uppercut to one and that one went flying. He jabbed at another and it fell to the ground.

Hibiki cast his force blast at three separate wolves and they all went flying. Jellal came in and shot heavenly arrows to make sure those three were down. Two more were caught in the crossfire.

Freed cast darkness flare bombs at five wolves. Lucy decided that the guys couldn't have all the fun. "Open gate of the golden bull! Taurus! Taurus, take out the wolves Freed casts at with your axe."

"Perhaps after that you might give me a smooooch!"

"Open gate of the Heavenly Scales! Libra! Libra, cast gravity change towards the wolves outside of melee range so they fall to the ground."

Jellal, Hibiki, and Freed then attacked all the ones that had fallen to the ground from the force of gravity change.

Once all the wolves that charge in the attack were out of commission the celestial mages sent their spirits back to the spiritual world, and the others with the exception of Natsu began to relax. "Are you all forgetting the two strange wolves I was telling you about?" Natsu's facial expression immediately changed from aggressive to one of comprehension. "That's strange I know the scent now." He turned to Lucy and Yukino. "They smelled like your spirits..."

Two silver wolves seven feet tall (just over 2 meters) jumped out from behind a large rock. They both hand unusual markings above their eyes and across their nose. One's markings were a metallic silver blue the others were a metallic lavender. Both celestial mages looked at the wolves not in fear but in confusion and wonder, "Lupus" They both said simutaneously.

Hibiki wrinkled his forehead in confusion. "I thought the silver keys of Lupus were lost long ago."

The wolves shifted to men. The markings that adorned the wolves were along their foreheads and bridges of their nose. They were just as tall in humanoid form as they were in wolf form. The one with the silver blue markings had long silver hair and a stern look on his face. His eyes the same color as his markings. The other had short spiky pewter gray hair and a cheerful look upon his face. His lavender eyes seemed to dance in merriment.

The blue eyed one turned to Lucy. "I am Lucian. I would like to form a contract with you, Lucy Heartfilia." He stated formally and bowed to her.

The one with lavender eyes turned to Yukino. "And my name is Dashiell, but if it's easier you can simply call me Dash. It would be an honor to fight by your side, Yukino Aguria."

The girls looked at each other. "Er, I think we are both stumped here," Lucy said aloud.

"How can we form a contract without a key?" Yukino asked.

Both of the expressions of the wolves became dismal and crestfallen. Yukino and Lucy both frowned in concern.

The girls didn't notice Hibiki typing away at Archive. But both of the girls heard what Hibiki told them to say telepathically. The girls clasped hands and both chanted in clear voices simultaneously, "Da nobis, argentum lupus cohibere aperire"

The girls each felt more weight on their key rings and studied the new key there. They both had a silver key with the silhouette of a wolf howling as the emblem. Lucy's a silver blue whereas Yukino's was lavender.

**Sometimes the worse things can happen make things so much better. I had this all written at 11:30 this morning but I was unhappy with how the girls casted a spell for the keys. So I erased that, but then I couldn't remember what I had originally typed so I went to reload my document. Apparently I hadn't saved since after I had breakfast and lost nearly the whole document. But I like the way I rewrote it better so yay for happy mistakes.**

**I figured since there is more then one Nikora (Plue) then there must be more then one of all the silver keys. I obviously made up that the Lupus key was lost for sake of the story line. **

**I had predetermined that Lucy would get the more stoic of the two wolves and he had to be named Lucian. Did not consider the simularity of their names until after I typed it, but oh wells.**

**Dashiell is pronounced Dash-ell if you were curious.**

**Da nobis, argentum lupus cohibere aperire is latin and it's sloppy latin at that. I could not find a latin word for key other then key, loosely translate it says "Give us a silver wolf lock open" sound so much prettier in latin. :P**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

_Brief recap since last chapter was published over a month ago. The group composed of Lucy, Yukino, Natsu, Erza, Elfman, Evergreen, Freed, and Hibiki plus Jellal and Meredy from Crime Sorcière are all off on a side quest for the small town of Renshaw Heights. Their objective is to take out the crime guild Venom Talon that has been wreaking havoc all over Bosco. On the way the group fought off a large group of dire wolves. Two celestial spirits, Lupus, appeared to be helping the wolves fight and living along side of them. They are now both contracted to Lucy and Yukino._

Yukino and Lucy both smiled down at the additional weight of their key rings. Then they shared a smile with each other and chuckled merrily for a moment. No one but another celestial mage would ever understand the joyous feel of having another spirit to add to your arsenal. They looked back at their new spirits. Lucian had his arms crossed and while he tried his best to keep his impassive expression Lucy happened to catch a slight curl of his lip at the corner of his mouth. Dash on the other hand was grinning from ear to ear. His infectious joyous nature had Yukino giggling outrageously, clutching her stomach from the belly laughs the spirit was unintentionally inflicting upon her.

"We can lead you all into the woods. We have a small cabin not far from the Venom Talon's guild headquarters. It will take a few hours to get there however. By that time it will be dark in the woods so we can take refuge in our cabin and map out a strategy," Dash openly suggested.

"I thought you all lived with the wolves?" Natsu asked in confusion.

"The wolves contact us when they feel threatened. Once we sensed Yukino and Lucy in the party we tried to get the wolves to stop but they are only animals and reacted on instinct. We raise pheasants on our property and wouldn't want the wolves to hunt our livestock," Dash replied.

"Oh, pheasant! Do you happen to have fire seasoning in your cottage?" Natsu asked. The group outwardly groaned at Natsu's enthusiasm. Yukino and Meredy who still were unaccustomed to his earnest nature giggled at the pink haired human garbage disposal.

The trek through the forest was harsh. Many branches of the underbrush bit at their legs. Lucian who sensed Lucy's discomfort picked her up and carried her through the forest. He ignored how she thrashed and beat at his chest when she complained she didn't need help. When Dash looked at Yukino and asked her if she would like the same treatment the girl merely shook her head. She assured him if it became unbearable however that she would ask for assistance.

Lucy was so busy fighting with Lucian she didn't notice the silence and gloom coming off of Natsu in waves. He felt that he should be the one to carry her and she should be fighting him off right now. He didn't really understand why he was feeling so annoyed by this new spirit of hers. It wasn't much different with how he felt around Loke but he knew nothing about this new spirit so he wondered if the unknown was posing it's own threat in his mind. He grumbled to himself and kicked at the underbrush of the forest.

Erza turned to Jellal, "So what do you think of this plan thus far?"

Jellal looked at Erza. A shimmer of light from the canopy hit her hair just right and made him want to reach out and touch her. But he refrained. He could not let himself get overly emotionally attached to her. Even if he was already heading down that slippery slope he knew he had to make a conscious effort to restrain his emotions as much as possible. He cleared his throat and replied to her. "I don't think we have much of a plan as of yet. But I do believe if it will take such a huge length of time to get to this cabin that it is a sound idea to stop there and make plans. Perhaps a few of us can scout out the guild headquarters if it isn't terribly far away and report back to the group."

"Mmm," she muttered in a sound of agreement.

Freed stood at Mira's elbow during their trek through the woods. He held her hand to assist her when she had to climb over a fallen branch. They didn't talk all that much on the trip simply smiled at each other in shy understanding. When Freed came across a bed of wild flowers he bent to pick one and handed it to Mira. "Would you tuck it behind my ear?" She asked.

Freed blushed fiercely and attempted to accommodate her request. When his fingertips brushed her earlobe they both froze as they felt an overwhelming sensation coursing through their bodies. They each cleared their throats in turn and continued their hike through he forest.

Elfman and Ever who had been following Freed and Mira were not traveling as amicably the other couple. They kept bickering about every little thing. When Lucian picked up Lucy Ever asked Elfman why he didn't offer to do the same. His response, "Because you are manly enough to take care of yourself."

Ever promptly pulled out her fan and thwacked him with it.

When Mira received the wildflower from Freed, Ever tried to not whimper at the romantic notion. She knew it would do no good to point out that simple sentiment to Elfman so she made no attempt to do so. Little did she know that Elfman saw the exchange and began to ponder what sort of romantic things he should plan for his lady love. Too bad he didn't notice the gloomy emotions transmitting from her body. He would have saved himself from a lot of grief if he had been more observant.

Hibiki kept glancing at Yukino and Meredy. They were the only two girls he was certain had no kind of romantic entanglements. It was obvious Mira had a thing for Freed. That Ever and Elfman, although tried to deny it, were very much together. Erza and Jellal were fighting emotions that were completely beyond taming. He knew that Natsu wasn't aware of his feelings for Lucy but that there was something definitely between the two.

Hibiki would have more time to spend with Yukino since he would be on the trip longer with her. But the problem with that was that he wasn't sure he should actually get involved with another celestial mage. Meredy may have been a part of an independent guild and traveled all over Earthland to set many things right. But that was part of her appeal. He could tell that she chose to do these things not just to set things right that she herself may have done wrong. But also because she herself was generally kind in nature. Hibiki contemplated the pinkette beauty as he trampled through the forest.

The group traversed the underbrush with these emotions and sentiments rattling away in their brains. The journey amazingly went quickly and before they knew it the woods had darkened considerably and they could hear the call of game hens in the distance. They climbed up a peaking slope and were gazing up a homey looking log cabin.

Dash turned and smiled to the group. "Welcome to our home."

**I've been actually having writer's block with this story. I personally love the concept but I also have three other stories I am currently posting on and one other idea that is hovering in my brain that I may or may not start working on posting also. So please be patient in regards to this story. I promise I won't just up and abandon it.**

**I hope you all have a wonderful and safe holiday.**

**Please review it encourages me to write!**


	9. Chapter 9

_Quick recap: Lucy and Yukino recently received two new celestial spirits. The wolf constellation Lupus. Lucian is Lucy's spirit and he is quiet and acts grumpy but per normal when it comes to Lucy's spirits he is excessively protective of her. He carried her through the forest on the way to his and Dash's (Yukino's Lupus) and in turn made Natsu jealous. Of course Natsu being the lovable idiot he is doesn't know it's jealous he is feeling. Dash's personality is basically the polar opposite of Lucian. He is carefree, considerate, and goofy. Natsu is looking forward to the possibility of having fire pheasant for supper when they reach the cottage in the woods they are currently heading to._

Chapter 9

The group came to a small clearing in the woods. The fading sunlight broke through the canopy of trees and cast the cabin in a soft glow. Lucy had finally got Lucian to put her down. But he was persistent in carrying her the entire trek through the woods. He now had read marks marring his arms where she clawed and scratched at him to put her down.

His earnestness reminded her of another insistent pink headed male. Although when it came to that one she doubted he would come out with so many welts. She would after all be rejoicing inwardly that he was paying her that type of attention.

The cabin itself was simple in structure. But Meredy and Mirajane cooed at it as if it were a doll house only, well, adult size. The logs were obviously built from the same wood of the trees in the forest. In fact, Lucy deducted that the only reason the land they were on was clear was because they must have used the trees that was on the plot of land to make the cabin.

Natsu heard the pheasants and ran in that direction. Lucy followed to make sure he didn't get into any trouble. The pheasants were kept in a large wire enclosure that made Lucy a bit sad. But if they flew away there went Lucian and Dash's food source. So she at least understood the reasoning. Nearby Lucy heard water and found a river flowing in the backyard. Lucy sighed with contentment at the beautiful scene but figured it was time to meet back up with the rest of the group.

Lucy grabbed Natsu's ear and pulled him into the cottage. He was eyeballing the pheasant as if he would eat it right then, feathers and all. The group stood around the small living area. There was only really room for two beds and a kitchen/dining area. But the group tried to make due with the space as much as they could.

Dash looked apologetically at the group. "Sorry, I know it's a tad on the small side."

Erza smiled confidently. "That's all right. The guys can sleep outside tonight us girls will take lodging in the cabin." She cast a glance around the group, daring the guys to challenge her. But of course per normal no one was willing to challenge Erza.

Lucian and Dash had both already made up their minds to visit the celestial world. They had been locked away from their home for too long and desired to return. Plus it would replenish their energies for when they were needed for the fight.

Once they returned to the spirit world Natsu raided the fridge. Turned out the two celestial spirits ate as much as 5 Natsus in one day and they preplanned meals accordingly. There was several fish, pheasant, and vegetable dishes already prepared. They would just have to be reheated.

After the meal was prepared they all squished in at the small dining table. Jellal announced, "I was thinking that Meredy and myself might do some recon on the guild. See how big the building is and how many members might be inside. That way we would have a plan of attack."

Erza mentally agreed that this was a sound decision but didn't completely trust Jellal to keep from actually attacking the guild on his own. "If that's the case then I would like to go with you and see it for myself."

Jellal was a bit annoyed by this but he couldn't exactly deny her.

A couple hours later once the trio left Natsu excused himself from the cabin and went outside. He had been unusually quiet during supper and it concerned her.

She followed him out of the cabin and watched as he trekked behind the house. She hoped that he wasn't still hungry and attacked the pheasants. She wouldn't put it past him to attempt to do so. There was barely any food left in the fridge after the group tackled the food with gusto. When she did find Natsu he was by the river bank holding a fishing pole. Where he got the fishing pole she had no clue but she wasn't surprised by his resourcefulness. At least they wouldn't have to worry about breakfast in the morning if he was fishing now.

Of course he caught her scent before he saw her. Strawberries, she forever smelled like strawberries and that smell would always stir him up and make him smile. He half grinned at her as she sat down beside him.

"Where'd you find the fishing pole?"

"There's a shed beside the pheasant coop. I found it inside the door there."

"You don't really seem yourself. Are you okay?"

He shrugged. "I'm never that rambunctious when fishing. I don't wanna scare my lunch away."

Lucy mildly giggled at that. But the problem was that it was more then that. He seemed sad for some reason.

"I think I know you better then that, Natsu. You kind of, I don't know, seem sad right now."

"Honestly, this trip has already been long and we have barely scratched the surface. I know you want to become more powerful in your own right, Luce. But, you don't have to always feel like you need to prove yourself. You are strong, but like everyone you also have limitations. I kind of wish you would realize that."

Lucy was taken aback by this. He sounded intelligent and while she knew he wasn't dumb she didn't realize he could be so serious before. "Natsu, I do realize that. But, is it wrong for me to be the best celestial spirit mage I can be? I mean as far as I know the only remaining spirit mages out there are myself, Yukino, and Princess Hisui. I feel like it's human nature for me to want to improve myself. But, I also feel like finding these keys is part of a legacy quest that should fall upon Yukino and I. Between the two of us we have all of the gold zodiac keys. I feel it is only right we should end up with all the platinum keys also."

"Did you think about who would get what key?"

Natsu's question caught her off guard. Truth be told the thought never occurred to her. She bit her lip in concentration.

Natsu sighed. He didn't mean to get her upset.

"Luce, I'm sorry. I don't know what has me all riled up. I think I'm just missing Happy. Honestly, I think that is why I picked up the fishing pole to begin with."

Lucy patted Natsu's back. "Don't feel bad. You gave me a lot to think about. Things I should probably discuss with Yukino and consider for myself."

Natsu felt like a jerk for lecturing her. But he believed in her and he just wanted her to believe in herself.

**Lengthy Author's Note ahead (You've been warned)**

**Okay so I apologize fiercely it taking me 3 months to update this story. I will try to do it earlier on in the future. But again I have plenty of ideas for this story I am just having writer's block on how to get there. Speaking of writer's block I had a guest review 5 days ago asking me exactly what that was. I will happily answer but first I want to stress that I hate having to answer questions in an author's note. If you are going to write a review with a question I personally would prefer it if you signed up with an account and asked me with your username. The reason? So you don't have to wait for an answer and so I am not making public my reply. If you have an account I can merely PM you back through . But to answer the question writer's block is quite simply when you can't think of where to go with a story and just have no inspiration to write. **

**As I have said before this particular story will take longer for me to write because I have two other stories that come to me with ease. This one is being stubborn. I find writing adventure is harder for me for some reason. **

**As for the delay well things have been happening for me in reality that have made it difficult for me deal with. 1) My daughter is having difficulty in school so I have to take care of that first. 2) My birthday was Feb 14th and before it I was having birthday blues. I was depressed because for me it isn't easy having my birthday on Valentine's day. It is hard to go to simply celebrate my birthday and it makes me depressed. But also this year was a big birthday because I turned the big 4-0. Yup I turned 40. Not happy about it but I am still young at heart and will always be. **

**I realize those two things might not seem like much, but they are trust me. **

**If you like my story don't forget to follow and fave. I love reviews so feel free to do that also. :)**

**Gratuitous self advertising alert!**

**If you are over 18 and are okay with lemons I definitely recommend my story Hearts, Flames, Stars.**

**If you are also a Ghost Hunt fan and over 18 I recommend my story A Lich to Scratch (although thus far there are no lemons but there probably will be)**


	10. Author Alert

**OMG, it's been over a year since I have even looked at this story let alone updated it. **

**After semi-recently finishing my other FT story (Hearts, Flames, Stars) I realized that this story is on a different level writing wise. It's obvious to me that I have grown as a writer since I first published this and while I still love the concept I definitely do not like the formatting. **

**Plus, I think I am going to change things around a bit anyways. Perhaps, I will focus more on the train fight then I did previously. I think I may change Lucian's name… Perhaps, Yukino is called in rather then joins FT? Who knows I just know that I am not happy with it and at this point it's probably better to practically purge the whole thing (not really but at least use the old chapters as notes for the new chapters) and start fresh. **

**Because I tend to write mature rated stories I may also eventually add another version of this story with mature romantic sidelines...who knows? **

**So be aware, the next time a new chapter is added, this note will be replaced with a chapter and a new chapter will be added on. So when you do get an update notification if you are following me or this story it will be two new chapters rather then just one.**


	11. Additional Author Alert - Please read!

**If you are reading this now you have made it past my previous author alert. Congratulations, unfortunately I have a bit of semi bad news. Well all in all it's really good news just kind of inconvenient. I started "editing" chapter one today and as I did so the story decided to rewrite itself. I still plan on a lot of the same things happening in the story but because of the vast differences, and to make it easier on myself, I have decided to discontinue this version and post the new one as a separate story. I will be keeping this version up until I get past the point in the storyline this version is currently sitting at. But if you want to read the new version please visit my profile page and select it from there.**


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